Texas A&M uses the term "Aggies" as their team name, originally being a way to identify those who have gone to an agricultural school...
As turfgrass managers come from all walks of life, some not going through formal schooling, some transferring skills in from another industry, we can roll with "Turfies". Even within agricultural schools, we find ourselves in a circle all our own.
This post is for those growing more established in the turf world, and who have made the choice to turn what could be a summer job or internship into a full blown career.
After getting a job, working on the basics for a few years, and readying yourself to move into a more prominent role on the turfgrass management staff, we can continue to help you Turfies systematically understand more and more of the world around you. A turfgrass career is about far more than slow motion video posts, and mowing lasers.
You should quickly realize that your pals and peers are also working to master the same things you are, and the competition for jobs has begun. That's not to say you can't have teammates, you always will rely on your network, but it is important to identify that you need to become more than an operator. Our White Program helps do just that.
In your internship years, you may enjoy honeymoon summers where all is fine and dandy taking care of your local ballpark or a top 100 golf course. When it gets real, however, is when you stay on through the fall, winter and spring to see in-depth improvement projects, aerification processes, employee turnover and shuffling, as well as opening procedures and what it truly takes to get these places ranked and appreciated on the big stage.
We want to coach you in being familiar with all that is happening around you, beyond the daily grind of what is immediately in front of you each workday.
The TGC White Program helps you evolve your understanding of processes and people who support the grounds department, as well as how turf operations impact entire organizations.
We introduce you to, and provide a base of understanding for, the following:
Business Administration
Who sets standards for the employee experience? How does communication move up and down the ladder?
Accounting Principles
How does the business manage money in and money out? Who is watching, and how is the season's story told through the numbers?
Managing Teams
Beyond being a leader, how do you identify that trait in others? How do you strategize to attack the workday?
Chemical Programs
Making sense of safety, chemical names, mixtures, and actions...
Irrigation Systems
How does water move around my facility and how is it managed? How are systems different or alike?
Construction Projects
Escaping intimidation as a doer or an active part of the support team. Understand the planning process and evaluate your performance.
The Equipment Technician's Workshop
They don't bite...hard. Understand what's happening in there!
In addition to presentations within these sections, we offer a comprehensive list of downloads to accompany you in your investigations into the inner workings of your park, club, or business. We offer sample maps, usable budget excel sheets, a journal of the life cycle of a capital project, and more.
Ask yourself if you are fully comfortable in every corner of your workplace. If you were alone with another department head or staff member in the lunchroom, could you carry a conversation understanding what it is they do?
Do you understand how your performance affects the experience of others? If the golf course drains well, does that keep the cash register ringing in the proshop? If you break a mower, what does that do to the budget or the equipment technician's day? Do you understand why your capital project was pushed back a year by your executive leadership?
If you are fully comfortable with all this, extend your knowledge to other Turfies on your team. Develop your mentorship ability and communication skills. Begin to be somebody you wish you had on your side earlier in your career. That is what makes a TGC member!
If you want to know more, or need any help widening your scope on life as a Turfie, come check us out in the TGC White Program and join the committee!
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